Jamboree

A cable channel B-film buff invites his ‘Mutant Family’ to Las Vegas

Joe Bob Briggs has been a B-movie advocate since long before genre cinema was cool. The author and TV personality began writing his socalled drive-in movie reviews for a Texas newspaper in the 1980s, and he has hosted B-movie showcases on cable TV since 1986. In 2021, he launched Joe Bob’s World Drive-In Jamboree, a multiday event honoring drive-in culture, held at an actual drive-in, serving as a film festival and a gathering place for his fans, affectionately known as the “Mutant Family.”

This year’s Jamboree comes to Las Vegas, setting up at the West Wind Drive-In for three days of movies, celebrity guests, musical performances, and fan camaraderie. “There are very few drive-ins that are big enough to do the size of event that we want to do,” Briggs says. The Jamboree will take over at least four of West Wind’s six screens, and attendees can even camp at West Wind, making the Jamboree the B-movie equivalent of Coachella.

The event kicks off with a barbecue hosted by Briggs and his Shudder costar Diana Prince (aka “Darcy the Mail Girl”), with Friday’s programming devoted to submissions from independent filmmakers.

On Saturday, Briggs and Prince will be recording an episode of their Shudder series The Last Drive-In, featuring commentary on a double feature of Roger Corman movies that will be revealed that night. Legendary B-movie producer Corman himself will be on hand to celebrate what Briggs calls his “first 70 years in Hollywood.”

The night will continue beyond the TV taping with a marathon of five Corman movies.

The event wraps up on Sunday with a night devoted to the Sleepaway Camp slasher-movie franchise.

For Briggs, Las Vegas is more than just a convenient location for the Jamboree. He’s been coming to town since the 1970s, when he befriended Wayne Newton, thanks to an article he wrote in Interview magazine. The Jamboree is set to include walking tours of the Fremont Street area, with Briggs providing commentary and historical insight on the period from about 1933 to 1965. “That’s what people think of as classic Vegas,” he says. — Josh

Bell

Joe Bob’s World Drive-In Jamboree, Oct. 6-8, West Wind Drive-In, $75-275, joebobsjamboree.com